EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10761, 27 March 1897, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD.

The adjourned meeting of tha Education Board, held yesterday forenoon, was attended by Messrs M. Cohen (chairman), J. M. Gallaway, A. M'Kcrrow, H. Clark, D. Bjrrie, the Rev. P. B. Prasar, and tho Hon. J. MaoGregor. • ENTRANCE TO TEAININO COLLEGE. It was resolved—" That next session of the Norm %\ School tho matriculation piss will not be accepted as entitling to admission to the training college." i ■- - NOTICES OP MOTION. . " 1 Mr MacGkegor gays notice of motion for next meeting—"Thit the maximum age for junior and senior scholarships be raised to 13£ and 15i years respectively." Mr MacGeeoob gave notice of motion for next meeting-" That bonuses shall cease to exist from th« • — day of , 19 —." * THE CHAIRMAN'S RKTIRKJIEST. ; The Chairman thanked tbe board for affordI ing him the opportunity for directing its atteu- • tion to certain matters which had came under ; his observation during his term of office. He I then spoke at considerable leugth on the need • for revising the scholarship regulations and I other administrative matters. He also ""urged1" j that the boards should uuits in counselling the | Minister to hold a conference, to be'presided j over by himsaif, during the recess, with' the object of making amendments of the act where experience of its working had proved them to ' be necessary. • ' Mr J. MacGbegor said the excellent address to which they had just listened was in every way a fitting conclusion to Mr Cohen's term of office as a member and as chairm'ad of the board. Mr Cohen h'sd brought to bear upou the work knowledge Rad.enthuaiasm such as no other member of tha board hsd shown whilst he had been a member,,and the time and care which he had devoted to the public must hive beea & serious tax upon a man whose tiqae was so fully occupied. He was not there to flatter Mr Cohen, but to givs him such meed of honest praise as all must admit to be his -jast due, and he said most sincerely thai Air Coben's'enforced retirement would be a gceat. loss to the board .'and to the cause of education in Otago, *hd even throughout New Zealand. Ha had act an example with' succeeding chairmeu would do Well to strive to follow. ' Mr Clark expressed his high appreciation and admiratiou of. the able manner in which Mr Cohen had discharged the onerous duties of the chair, and at the .imouot of energy, zaal, and ability with which he.ii.-sd sppliad himse'.f to the ! work of the bo*rd, both as chairman and as a private member. Whilst regretting Mr Cohen's departure from the board's table, he had pleasure in the thought of the probability of ; bis ere long becoming again a member of the • board. • ' ■'■ • |. Mr Bokrie heartily endorsed all that Mr MacGregor *ud Mr had said. Mr Cohen had dove work in connection with the board the beneficial results of which would be felt for vary many years—his work would be la*tiiig. iHe had been brous;ht into closer contact with :Mr Cohen as chairmm of the board th»n most members,. bsing on th« Selection Committee. ;It had been thrown iv his (Mr Borrie's) teeth | that Mr Cohen was the committee and ran the ! whole show—(Laugbtar.) Anyone who s»id that did not know Mv Clark nor himself. What the work of the Selection Committee was was not generally known to tho members of the board. The committee had not always saeneye to eye in everything. He would, however, say this for their cbairmnn—thtt if either Mr Clark or himself were able to show fairly good reasons for their opinions Blr Cohen would willingly give way. He never tried to force'his owd opinion on to the other members, abd gave way when the others could give any reanoh for tha faith that that was in them. When he heard thiit Mr Cohen had decided not to stand again for membership of the board h« was very socry indeed. With Mr HacGrcgor, he looked upon it as a calamity to education in Ot»go that Mr Cohea had" retired,.—(Hear, hear.) They would get good men on to the board, and had good men there now, but they could not get men with Mr .Cohen's grasp-of the affairs or could devote such tirh3 and energy to them aa Mr Cohen had done. They had been supplied only that morning with information from Mr Cohen which he was shre bud taken him mouths to collect. He had given to the members sitting at that table information which he had collected at enormous cost of time aud energy. He would again express his sorrow at the loss of Mr Cohen's company and set vices at the board's meetings.—(Hear, hear.) .. Mr P. B. Fraseb cordially agreed with all that had been said regarding Mr Cohea's knowledge of. educational requirements, and the assiduity and painstaking manner with which he ■ had applied himnelf to his laborious work. If seemed to him, (Mr leaser) as if many members made play of their duties ss members of the Education- Board, -and they opposed propo.i-, tions without ever having given them any thought. If Mr Cohen opposed any proposition he had Jood reason for so doing, and did not do it with that superficial knowledge that too often 'passed muster at thit txblo.. He did uot agres" with everything Mr Cohen had dona or would do were he to continue a member of the' board, but when he had reflecttd upon Mr Cohen's actions hs always Baw that he had acted with perfect intelligence and a thorough gra«p of the affsirs. He quite agreed with Mr Borrie; that their chairmnu had always been impartial. He sincerely hoped that Mr Cohen would not be long away from the board, for they wanted the bosVnien that could poßsibly be obtained.—(Hear, hear.) Mr M'Kkrrow said that Mr Cohen was not only an enthusiast j> v iid ; a theorist, but he had brought a great deal of'common sense t» bear upon tha workings Of the board. He felt hia IOM to the board very deeply. A great deal of his work would live long after ho had gone— the qualification scheme alone and the intelligence he had brought to bear upou it would be a lasting monument, and the good effects of the scheme would be felt for many years. Mr G'AtxAWAY said that if any member of tha board was ' under a spec: al obligation to Me Cohen it was himself. He came to the board n beginner, ignorant of the business, and naturally went to the bhairmwn for information he could not get elsewhere, from Mr Cohan he had always received tha information he had sought The board had themselves to think to a certain extent for Mr Cohen's having found it necessary to retire. He knew something of the anxiety he had suffered from extreme enthusiasm sometimes displayed by members of the board, which had helpad to undermine his health. The board should bs especially grateful to Mr Cohen for the rasnner in wbich he hid strnggled to perform his duties right up to the last. He hoped that Mr Cohen would m*ke it his aim and object to return to the board as soon as be could. Tbe thank* not only of the board,' but of the public, were due to Mr Cohou' for his work, for if the board had not a strong chairman at its he>id, S3 far aa he was able to form auy opinion in the rnatfer, the 3ff*irg of the board would run into chao.s. The public were under a debt of gratitude to the chairman for the manner in which he had performed bis • duties, and particularly for the immense amount of time he had taken from other things and devoted to the apparently thankless task of advancing the ctnse of education iv Ofcago. The Chairman said iv. reply tbat he was ' afraid too much valua had been set on what I he had been able to accomplish aud had tried ! to do, but it was the moat satisfactory raw*td to him to know tlut he was vacating offieo and ■ retiring from the board with tbeir acknowledgments that his labours had not been altogether in vain. They had at times had differences of opinion—and often hetted arguments,— but whenever he rose from that table nil feelings engendered by those differencies were dissipated at once—(hear),—and he felt sure.that they would all retain for each other nothing but feelings of sincere respect — (Hear.) He had not always, seen eye to eye with every member of tbe board, but- tie readily conceded that each of his colleagues was imbued with an earnest deaire to advance the cause of education ia this district. If he might be permitted to make a suggestion—tbe outcome of fcin own experienca—he would like to offer one to the effect that the business of the board would be greatly facilitated,.and the Üboura of future chairmen much lightened, it an executive committee were to bs set up, who might be empowered to deal with and dispose of. all non-controversial and routine matters., He.-had done-his best to j?et a business paper in the hands of members"befota ih'e ordinary meeting days, but found it impossible to continue it. There were enough of the country members available once a week or once a fortnight to allow of this idea being seted on, andhe felt sure that if it were carried oud the business of the board would be greatly facilitated. In leaving the chuir ha had to say, and he was sure they would give him credit for sincerity, that he felt greatly honoured at being honoured in the way he had been that rnßruing, and would treasure all the days of his life the pleasant relation* that had always, subsisted bstwwen thfi members of tile Education Board of Otago and himself, and between himself and th« officers—mm and all.- Ha bad ' to offer them nothing but his goodwill, and in conclusion he might bo permitted to expit'sis the hope that they might be long spared to work ! together for the advancement of ,tha great cause of national education, which bs knmv to ba dear to the hearts of all of them. He had once more to bid them a retpectful fare- ' we!l. The board then rose. '

Physicians often say to their patient*, "You need a tonic," knowiag only too well that tonics revive tho etoiinaeb, invigorate the usrves, regulate the liver, aad thus build uu the constitution. ■Bonningtojj's Livkr Tonic is designed for this purpose.—Advt.